Means of lubricating ways



July 4, 1939. w, A, HART 2,164,518

' MEANS OF LUBRICATING wAYs Filed April 15, 1956 m lll'dm l9: llarZ.

ATTORNEYS.

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/04 INVENTOR M 4934 awzm Patented July 4, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MEANS OF LUBRICATING WAYS igan Application April 13, 1936, Serial No. 74,124

1 Claim.

The present invention relates to broaching machines and in particular provides an improved system for lubricating the ways which support and guide the broach head of a broaching machine.

Objects of the present invention are to provide an improved means for lubricating the ways which guide a broach head, or like part; to provide such a system which may be economically m practised, which are simple and efiicient in operation, and which require relatively few operating parts.

Further objects of the present invention are to provide a system for lubricating the ways which guide the broach head of a broaching machine or the like, embodying a cylinder having inlet and outlet passages provided with inlet and outlet check valves, and a piston movable therein in one direction to discharge the lubricant from the chamber through the outlet passage and movable in an opposite direction to establish a partial vacuum therein to draw lubricant into the chamber through the inlet passage; to provide such a system in which the outlet passage is suit- 5 ably connected to ducts leading to the ways of similar parts to be lubricated; to provide such an arrangement in which the inlet passages may be suitably connected to an oil line otherwise associated with the machine, which oil line is not re- 0 quired to be under more than a limited pressure; and to provide such an arrangement in which, according to one embodiment, the plunger may be actuated automatically in response to the operation of the machine, or in accordance with another embodiment, may be manually actuated.

With the above and other objects in view, which appear in the following description and in the appended claim, preferred but illustrative embodiments of the present invention are shown in the accompanying drawing, throughout the several views of which corresponding reference characters are used to designate corresponding parts and in which:

Figure l is a perspective view, with certain of the parts broken away, of a broaching machine embodying the present invention;

Figure 2 is a detailed view in vertical section, taken along the line 22 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a detailed View in horizontal sec- 50 tion, taken along the line 33 of Figure 1; and

Figure 4 is a fragmentary view in perspective, showing a modified embodiment of the invention.

Although in its broader aspects the improvements of the present invention are applicable to various types of machine tools, such improvements are, in a narrower sense, particularly applicable to automatic broaching machines. Accordingly, the drawing illustrates the invention as applied to a broaching machine of the type disclosed in the co-pending application of the present applicant, Serial No. 42,619, filed September 28, 1935, and assigned to the assignee of the present application.

As described in detail in the just identified application and referring to Figure 1, the breaching machine may comprise generally a frame structure I0 formed to provide a horizontally disposed work table l2, and provided with ways l4 formed on the face thereof, which with cooperating dovetail blocks l6, form guideways to guide and support the ram mechanism designated generally as l8. The guide blocks l6 are secured to the face of frame ID by countersunk studs 20. The broach 22, which may be of generally conventional con- 20 struction, with a plurality of longitudinally spaced teeth formed on the outer face thereof, is suitably recessed into the forward face of the ram or broach head Hi.

In further accordance with the disclosure of the above identified application, the ram mechanism may comprise a frame structure 24, within which a cylinder 26 is secured, which cylinder and frame structure is disposed to reciprocate vertically with respect to a stationary piston (not shown), the piston rod of which is formed of two concentrically disposed pipes 28 and 30. The outer pipe 28 may be suitably ported to afford communication between the space within cylinder 26 above the piston and the interior of pipe 28, and the inner pipe 3|] may extend through the piston and communicate with the cylinder space on the other side of the piston, Suitable mechanism, including valves, are provided to selectively connect the pipes 28 and 30 to supply and exhaust lines, respectively, or the reverse, to thereby selectively cause ram mechanism I8 to move upwardly or downwardly, carrying the broach 22 with it to effect the working and return strokes thereof.

The starting, and in certain instances the reversing and stopping of the ram, may be controlled by a manual lever 32, suitably associated with the just mentioned valve mechanism. The intermediate connections between lever 32 and the valve mechanism form no part of the present invention, it being sufficient for the purposes of the present disclosure to note that rotation of lever 32 is effective to initiate the starting, the

reversing, or the stopping, or an associated control function.

Turning now to the elements of the disclosed machine, to which the present invention is specifically directed, a lubricating cylinder 48 is suitably supported, preferably within the machine frame, and is provided with an inlet port 42 and an outlet port 44. A nipple 46, threaded onto inlet 42, is provided with a passage 48 which is adapted to be closed by a conventional flapper type valve 50. 46, may extend to any suitable source of lubri cant, which may be either a force feed pump conventionally associated with machines of the class to which the present invention relates, or may be tapped into one of the lubricant return lines of such machine.

The outlet passage 44 is adapted to be closed by a ball 54, which is urged to the closed position by a compression spring 56. A nipple 58 connects cylinder 40 to a distribution pipe 60, which may extend upwardly through the machine to the branch pipes 62 and 64 which are threaded respectively in the frame [8 in registry with passages 66 and 68 formed therein. The passages 66 and 68 in turn register with lubricant wells formed in the face of the lubricant wells '10 and !2 formed in the guide blocks l6 and in the guides i4. With this arrangement, it will be evident that lubricant discharged from cylinder 40 through the pipe 60 is supplied to the working faces of the guide blocks It, the ways l4, and of the ram mechanism l8.

In the form illustrated in Figure 2, cylinder 40 is provided with a piston having an integrally formed shank 82 which extends externally of cylinder 40, and which is biased to the illustrated position by a compression spring 84 which surrounds the shank and is seated between the head 86 thereof and the underside of cylinder 40. Head 86 is formed arcuately for cooperation with a suitable cam 88, keyed to a shaft 98, oscillation of which is effected by the previously described operating lever 32. As will be evident from Figure 2, rotation of lever 32 in a clockwise direction correspondingly rotates cam 88, camming shank 82 and piston 88 upwardly within cylinder 40, The upward movement of piston 80 forces flapper valve 50 to a closed position, closing off the inlet pipe 52, and forces valve 54 to the open position against the force of the spring 56, thus permitting any lubricant collected within cylinder 40 to be forcibly discharged therefrom into the pipe 68, and correspondingly forcibly fed to the wells 18 and 12. Similarly, rotation of lever 32 in a counter-clockwise direction correspondingly rotates cam 88 and permits a re turn movement of piston 80 under the influence of the compression spring 84. This action permits check valve 54 to close, thus closing off the outlet pipe Bil, and by creating a partial vacuum within cylinder 40, permits the opening of flapper valve 50, which action permits oil to flow in cylinder 4!! through the inlet pipe 52. Because of the partial vacuum which would otherwise be developed within cylinder 40 by the downward movement of piston 80, it will be evident that a downward movement thereof is always accompanied by the drawing into cylinder 40 of a charge A pipe 52, threaded into nipple of lubricant, even though the lubricant in intake pipe 52 may be under only a negligible head. From the foregoing, it will be seen that each oscillation of lever 32 draws a charge of lubricant into cylinder 40 and discharges it under pressure to the ways l4, l6, and the cooperating ways of the ram mechanism l8.

In the alternative embodiment of Figure 4, the pumping structure may be in general as described above, as is indicated by the corresponding reference characters with the subscripts a. In' this instance, however, the cam 88a is formed on a lever I00, pivotally supported upon a shaft I02, and the end I04 of which is disposed in the path of a pin I06, which may be suitably secured to ram lBa for direct movement therewith. Preferably, the mechanism is so positioned that pin I06 engages the end of crank I08 shortly prior to the arrival of the ram mechanism at the upper limit of its stroke. This engagement rotates lever in a counter-clockwise direction, forcing the piston 88a. upwardly and discharging lubricant from cylinder 40a. to the ram mechanism in the previously described manner. When the ram mechanism l8 starts downwardly, piston 88a is forced downwardly under the influence of the compression spring 84a, associated therewith, which action also forces lever I08. in a clockwise direction to the illustrated position in which it is supported by a stop pin I86. This return movement of piston 80a, as previously described, draws a new charge of lubricant into the cylinder 48a, in readiness for the next upward movement of the piston.

It will be evident from the foregoing that the present invention provides an effective method and means for intermittently supplying lubricant under pressure to the operating parts of a broaching machine or like apparatus. In practice, the disclosed construction substantially eliminates the difficulties heretofore encountered in providing satisfactory lubrication to certain of the parts of such apparatus.

Although specific embodiments of the present invention have been described, it will be evident that various changes in the form, number and arrangement of parts thereof, and various changes in the specific method of practising the invention, may be made within the spirit and scope thereof,

What is claimed is:

In a broaching machine, the combination of a carriage for effecting relative movement between a work piece and a breaching tool; a lubricant pumping device comprising a housing stationarily mounted on said machine and having inlet and outlet ports associated therewith; a piston movable in said housing; a spring for effecting movement of said piston in one direction; a lever pivotally mounted on said machine and said piston normally bears and which constitutes a limit to the motion of said piston in one direction; and means carried by said carriage and engageable with said lever to pivot the same and render said cam effective to move said piston within said housing in an opposite direction against the force of said spring.

WILLIAM A. HART.

having a cam formation thereon against which 

